The present invention relates to what I term a partial pressure condensation pump and, more particularly, to a device for increasing the partial pressure of a gas or gases in a gas-vapor mixture, without mechanical pumping.
More particularly, it is desirable in many instances to increase the partial pressure of one or more gaseous species of a gas-vapor mixture. (For the purpose of the present application, the term "vapor" is defined as a component of a gas-vapor mixture which has a significantly lower vapor pressure than the "gas" or "gases", i.e. lower by a factor of five or greater). If only the gases need be compressed and their mole fraction is small, mechanical pumping to increase the partial pressure thereof is wasteful. This is particularly true if the gases must, in any case, be separated from the vapor eventually. In addition to increasing the partial pressure of the gas or gases, it is frequently desirable to conserve the relative abundances of the gases during the process of increasing partial pressure.
Relevant prior art comprises the following:
______________________________________ Reference No. U.S. Patent No. Publication ______________________________________ (1) Hamel et al Patent No. 4,084,943. Issued April 18, 1978 (2) E. P. Muntz, B. B.- Hamel, B. L. Maguire, AIAA J 1651, 8, 9, 1970 (3) T. Deglow, PhD Thesis, University of Southern California, June 1977 ______________________________________